


3000? That's crazy

by CityofAangels



Category: Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (Outch that hurts), Angst, Dad!Tony, Endgame Fix-It, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, Mom!Pepper, Tiny Morgan, Tony lives, post Endgame, post avengers: endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 15:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityofAangels/pseuds/CityofAangels
Summary: Tony's life didn't end when he snapped his fingers.





	3000? That's crazy

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> So, just know I've been writing this with ''The Real Hero'' on repeat in the background. Did I cry? I certainly did.  
> This is just the first (short) part of what I'm hoping will be a long fic.  
> Ideally, I would love to go backwards and forwards in time, with snippets of Tony and Pepper's life before Endgame, as well as their life after Endgame (with lots of Avengers!uncles and aunts, how exciting is that!)
> 
> If there's a scene you'd especially like to see written, feel free to drop a comment explaining what it is, or to go on my Tumblr (cityofaangels.tumblr.com) and ask. I don't bite, promise :)
> 
> Also, while I'm not purposefully stealing anyone's idea, I have read a whole lot of tweets, Tumblr asks, etc. that were Endgame fix-its. As such, if you feel like I'm stealing your idea, please contact me and I'll either delete the chapter, or add credits where credits's due.
> 
> Hope you like this :)

There was an annoying little beeping noise that Tony knew far too well – and, unfortunately, it was not the kind of beeping noise Dum-E or U made when they were asking for some attention.

There was this annoying noise, and the fact that everything was way, _way_ too bright, hurting his eyes even though he kept them stubbornly, firmly closed.

And the fact that everything, every little bone in his body, even ones he hadn't been aware he had up until now, _hurt_ fiercely.

Was this what being dead felt like? This was a sore disappointment. Actually, he'd rather die than– No, wait. This didn't work anymore, right? Shit, he'd have to find a new way of being dramatic. Out were all of the jokes about death. This sucked, really.

 

He focused very hard on trying to make something nice appear in front of him: a beach, a tree, a tablet, just – something. This annoying brightness was just boring, and if _this_ was what death was, waiting somewhere way too bright and doing nothing at all, he swore he would find a way to kill himself again. Maybe not in such a dramatic way as the first time around, but still. He'd never been great at dealing with boredom, which more often than not drove him to doing something incredibly, over-the-top stupid.

Still, despite his efforts, nothing appeared. No blue waves, no comforting oak, no StarkPad. This really was a disappointment. But wait – maybe he had to open his eyes? Maybe this was it. Maybe pretending to be dead when he was _actually dead_ stopped him from being _actually, 100% dead_. This was all too confusing, and now he felt like he should have paid way more attention when Pepper asked him to watch _Ghost_ with her. Maybe Whoopi Goldberg could have helped, somehow. Or maybe not.

 

Meanwhile, as he was lost in his deep thoughts of whether he was fully dead, or just halfway there, in a state where he'd have to take up pottery and get used to a next level of weirdness, the beeping noise was joined by a voice he knew all too well.

 _Pepper_.

And now he really wanted to open his eyes, brightness be damned, because if Pepper had done such a stupid thing as _dying_ right after him, he was going to be damned pissed. So he braced himself, knowing thanks to way too many hangovers that this was going to _hurt_ and slowly opened one of his eyes.

 

''You're okay, Tony. It's okay, take it easy.''

 

The words were comforting, yes, but his surroundings? Not so much. He hadn't really believed in an afterlife, sure, but finding out that even in afterlife, he was still suck in a freaking hospital room? That was disappointing. He could have dealt with living (or well, dying-living) on some place looking like a cloud, some magical dimension, but this? Hell, no.

Even Pepper wasn't much of a comfort, right now; she'd always been, but her presence there, when Tony was _sure_ he was dead, her blurred face right next to him, this was the stuff of his nightmares. He tried to open his mouth, to say something maybe, to _yell_ , but there was something on his face, something that kept him from speaking, and suddenly the beeping noise was more frantic, rushed, and his chest _hurt_ , and his arm _hurt_ , and, god–

 

''Call the doctors!'' Pepper's voice demanded to someone Tony couldn't see, and a hand slipped into his, cautious but so familiar and so, so warm – was death supposed to feel warm? Was this… ''I know, I know, honey. It's fine, everything's okay, you're–'' her voice cracked for a second, and through the panic, Tony felt something like… hope? ''You're still here, Tony. We won, you did it, and you're still– still here.''

 

She was breathing funny now, sobbing quietly, reserved like she always was when she didn't want others to think she was weak. Tony tried to do something: tell her it would be alright, squeeze her hand, anything, but his body wouldn't react and, soon enough, there were other voices joining them, colder hands touching up and down his arm, a cold liquid through his veins and– black.

 

***

 

Yinsen was there. This looked definitely more like what Tony had pictured death would look like: the edge of a cliff, surrounded by blue water, the sun warm on his skin. And Yinsen.

He hadn't changed, except that all the scars and open wounds that were adorning his skin the last time Tony had seen him had disappeared now. Apart from this, he was still the same man; though his smile, when Tony approached, was far brighter than he'd ever seen him smile in that goddamned cave.

 

''Yinsen…'' he whispered as he stumbled forward, feeling weightless and lost.

''Stark,'' the man smiled, and shook his hand softly, a whole lot of emotions dancing in his eyes. ''I am glad that our paths cross once again, but you shouldn't be here. This is not your fate – not yet. You still have many years in front of you.''

''Where– where is _here_ , exactly? I–''

''You are confused, of course. And lost. But you do not need to know more about this place. You'll know, someday, you'll know. But today is not the day.''

''I–'' Tony started to protest, but then a warm, hoarse, and achingly familiar voice cut him down.

''I warned you, didn't I? He's too curious for his own good, this one.''

 

He turned around, slowly, his eyes widening to the point it was almost painful. '' _Nat_ ,'' he whispered, and took a step forward, then two, again and again, until Natasha's warm arms closed around his frame, drawing him against her, her scent comforting, her warmth too much and not enough at the same time.

 

''Hey, Tony,'' she whispered, a little catch in her voice, her fingers playing tenderly with his hair. ''Long time no see.''

''Nat, I'm–''

''Don't you dare say you're sorry, or I'm gonna throw you off that cliff,'' she growled, and Tony snorted, a wet, muffled sound.

''It's not like I could _die_.''

''Okay, smartass, you've got me there. C'me on, let me take a look at you.''

 

She took a step back, keeping her arms on Tony's shoulders, her fingers rubbing little circles on his skin, until they inched upward, glided gently on his face.

 

''How do I look, Agent Romanov?''

''Like you just saved the world,'' she smiled softly.

''That bad, uh?''

''Oh, no. No. You look brave. You look smart. You look _strong_.''

 

He swallowed, a lump in his throat making its sudden appearance.

 

''I– I can't stay here, can I?''

''You can. You _could_. But you don't want to, do you?''

''Nat, I…''

 

She shook his head, hugged him tight once again.

 

''Your family's waiting for you, Tony. They need you. Go back to them – make them happy.''

''But you're part of my family, too, Nat. Come with me, please?''

''I wish I could.''

 

She let him go, took a step backwards, a brave smile on her face even though she was wiping at her eyes, tear tracks glinting under the sun.

 

''Say hi to Morgan for me, would you? And be happy.''

 

Yinsen was at her side, a gentle arm on her shoulders, smiling at Tony.

 

''You've made me proud, Tony,'' he said. ''You go and enjoy that beautiful life, now. I do not need to tell you not to waste it now, do I?''

 

Tony looked up at him, shrugged.

 

''No. No, I think that now, I have _everything_.''

 

And as darkness surrounded him once again, as the cliff disappeared, as Natasha and Yinsen became two blurred shapes, he looked at the smaller frame, and mouthed, solemn as a promise: ''I'll find a way''. 


End file.
